Losing Him
by Haou Judai
Summary: This Story is originally by Warriorsstone. Description: Jesse shows up in Jaden's room only to find that its not Jaden that's there, but Haou! With Jaden missing the search begins to find and rescue him from the person you least expected...
1. Chapter 1

**This chapter belongs to and was written by Warriorsstone, as is the original concept of the story. I'll be continueing this story starting at Chapter 8.**

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"Hey, Jaden! Guess wha-"

Jesse's cheerful greeting to his brunette friend became cut short as he opened the door to Jaden's dorm. The bluenette froze as the door swung open to reveal the duelist crumbled in his bed, sobbing hard. Jesse's mouth gapped as he approached Jaden, who didn't seem to notice the young Obelisk entering. The plastic sack of unopened booster packs made loud crinkling noises as Jesse thrust them onto the desk as he rushed to his best friend. Sitting himself on the side of the bed, Jesse gently shook Jaden's shoulder, trying to get the sobbing brunette's attention.

"Jaden, what's wrong? What happened?"

Jaden looked up at Jesse through puffy eyes as tears continued to spill from them. When he seemed to recognize who was sitting beside him, Jaden quickly sat up and burrowed his face into the bluenette's chest. Clutching the puffy material of his friend's shirt, the brunette continued to sob, staining the soft pink cloth with his tears.

After a moment of shock, Jesse wrapped his arms around his distressed friend. Rubbing his hand in gentle circles on the brunette's back, Jesse whispered softly into Jaden's ear.

"It's okay. You can tell me what wrong when you're ready."

Several minutes passed as Jaden continuously sobbed into the bluenette's shirt. Jesse held him close, knowing whatever made Jaden like this, had to be pretty serious. Jaden was not a person to let these kinds of emotions show, especially in front of his friends. He always tried to be the strong one, the one that everyone could count on. To see Jaden like this was not something Jesse was used to. So the blue haired Duelist sat in silence as he continued to comfort his friend to a point where he could speak.

Finally, Jaden seemed to find a way to calm down his sobs to a point where he just panted heavily. Still with his face buried in Jesse chest, Jaden soft spoke.

"Jesse... he-he's gone."

Confused, Jesse questioned the trembling brunette in his arms.

"Who's gone?"

Clutching tighter to the stained pink material he laid against, the smaller boy replied.

"Jaden…. he's gone, Jesse. He's gone!"

As he spoke, the brunette began to cry again, wetting Jesse's shirt even further. Sitting there stunned, the bluenette just stared down at his distressed friend. Eventually, Jesse let out a chuckle as he petted the soft dual colored head that rested on him. Holding him close, Jesse whispered gently into his friend's ear.

"Jaden, what are you talking about? You're right here with me. You're not gone."

Pulling out from the duelist's embrace, Jaden stared back at Jesse. Calmly, the distressed boy commanded Jesse.

"Look at me."

Puzzled, Jesse replied to Jaden command.

"I am."

"No, I mean really look at me."

Still confused, Jesse obeyed the brunette. As his eyes trailed all across his friend, he began to make little mental notes of what he saw.

Jaden was still in his Slifer Red uniform, which had become wrinkled and frumpy from lying in bed with it still on. His dual colored hair was damp and horribly messed up from his sobbing sessions. His lightly tanned skin glistened from the tears he had shed, and the flesh on his face was beet red. The skin that surrounded his golden yellow eyes showed puffy and irritated.

"_But, Jaden's eyes are brown," _Jesse thought to himself.

Realizing that this wasn't Jaden in front of him, Jesse quickly leaped off of the bed. Taking a step back from the brunette in Jaden's Slifer Red uniform, the now more thoroughly confused but also freaked out Obelisk questioned the boy.

"Who-who are you?! What did you do to Jaden?!"

The brunette looked up at Jesse with hot tears spilling down his face. Trembling, the boy answered the second question.

"Yu-Yubel, she took him! I tried to stop her but... she was too strong. I tried to hold her off as much as I could but I failed. I failed Jaden!"

The brunette brought his knees up to his chest and sobbed hard into them. Jesse, still standing away from the boy, wasn't sure yet whether or not he should believe him yet. Carefully he took a step towards the sobbing boy and questioned him again.

"Who are you?"

His face still buried in his knees, the trembling brunette replied,

"I'm a neutral soul spirit that lived in Jaden, charged with the duty to protect him and his reincarnations until the Neo-Spacian empire is ready to rise back up after it fell a millennium. I'm is supposed to be the one who sees him back to the throne, safe and sound… but Yubel took him and I've failed him!"

Confused by the things that this "neutral soul spirit" was talking about, Jesse confronted him.

"What are you talking about? Yubel was the one that was supposed to be the guardian for Jaden."

Lifting his head up, the "spirit" glared at Jesse.

"Yubel was, until the Neo-Spacian king lost his trust in that demon. The king had me created from a piece of his son's soul, the prince, in order to protect him from Yubel and other such things. From what you've seen of Yubel, I think you can put it together that she isn't exactly the "caring" type."

As the "spirit" chuckle quietly at his last remark, Jesse sat himself down next to him in the side of the bed. Without looking at the boy formally known as Jaden, he asked the "spirit",

Hearing this caused the "spirit" to squeeze his arms tighter around his knees. He was no longer was crying, but he still trembled.

"No. Jaden didn't know about me until a few months ago."

Glancing over at him, Jesse gave him a curious look.

"Do you... have a name?"

"Yes. Haou. At least that's was the mage who created me called me. I think it means "neutral" in ancient Neo-Spacian, but I'm not sure."

As they say in silence, Jesse reflected in what occurred a few months back. During that time, Yubel had taken over his body and placed his soul into his Rainbow Dragon card, so he couldn't remember anything that had happened. Everything he knew about that time was what was told to him by his friends. Suddenly, a thought hit Jesse.

"So, you were there when the Supreme King took over Jaden! Why didn't Jaden ever tell me about you? Did you try to stop the Supreme King too?"

When the words slipped from his lips, Haou winced. A single tear slipped down his face. Haou tried to answer Jesse, but every time he opened his mouth, a sobbing sound was all that would come out. Jesse went to rub the distressed "spirit's" back as he tried to calm him down, but Haou shrunk away from the contact. Jesse, realizing that Haou was uncomfortable with his touch, retreated his arm back to his lap and waited in silence. Finally, Haou choked out,

"Jesse, I… I am the Supreme King!"

The silence that surrounded them quickly grew into tension after Haou revealed his secret identity. Jesse sat shocked, staring at Haou who remained still trembling on the bed. As the numbness from the shock wore off, tears of anger began to form in the bluenette's eyes. Turning away from Haou, Jesse growled,

"So you're the Supreme King, huh?"

Sniffling, Haou responded to the angry bluenette.

"Yes, it's true. But I can explain-"

"NO!"

Cutting Haou off, Jesse pushed himself from the bed and turned to the shocked brunette, who now had his back pressed against the back wall behind the bed. The glare Jesse had on his face sent shots of pure fear straight through Haou's body. Shaking in anger, Jesse continued to yell at the frightened "spirit".

"You took control over Jaden; you wiped out an entire dimension; you tried to kill all of our friends; and now you're trying to tell me that Yubel is the bad guy here and that you're the good guy?!"

Panting hard, the bluenette glare darkened at the trembling boy who sat frozen in the bed.

"I know what you did. I might not have been there, and I may have only just met you, but I know that there is no way in hell that you are a good guy!"

Panting hard, the bluenette glare darkened at the trembling boy who sat frozen in the bed.

"I know what you did. I might not have been there, and I may have only just met you, but I know that there is no way in hell that you are a good guy!"

Still trembling, Haou quietly spoke.

"Jesse, please! You don't understand what happened-"

"I DON'T NEED TO!"

Haou shrunk farther back into the wall as Jesse cut him off again. Walking up to the trembling brunette, Jesse leaned down and whispered harshly to Haou.

"You are an evil being. You hurt Jaden far more than you can possibly imagine. I don't care whether or not what you want to tell me is a bucket of twisted lies or the truth. All I know is that I can't trust you."

Squirming under the piercing glare of Jesse, Haou silently pleaded,

"Jesse, please! Listen to me!"

Getting up from the bed, Jesse walked away from the frightened "spirit" and towards the open door frame. Stopping just under it, the bluenette responded to him.

"No. I won't allow myself to give you that satisfaction."

With that the Obelisk walked out of the dorm room, slamming the door shut behind him. Alone again, Haou crumbled apart in the bed and began sobbing once again and whispering Jaden's name silently to himself, wishing that it would somehow bring the boy back.

As Jesse stormed away from the Slifer dorms, Hassleberry spotted the bluenette, figuring that he had just visit Jaden. As he rushed up towards him, Hassleberry noticed that Jesse's mood appeared quite foul.

"Hey, Jesse, everything alright? Is the Serge okay?"

Glaring at the dino duelist, Jesse responded with a harsh tone.

"Jaden's gone."

As the bluenette started to walk away, the confused Hassleberry asked him,

"Gone? What do ya mean? Did the Serge go on trip or something?"

Stopping but not turning to face the young Ra Yellow, Jesse barked back.

"I mean he's gone, Hassleberry… and I don't know if we can get him back!"

Running away from the still confused dino duelist, Jesse struggled to hold back his tears as he raced back to his dorm. Hassleberry, now worried by Jesse's words, took out his PDA and called Syrus. After the second ring, Syrus finally picked up his PDA.

_"Hey, Hassleberry. What going on?"_

"I think you and I need to go check on the Serge."

_"Why? Is he sick?"_

"No I don't think so. It's just... I just saw Jesse walking away from the Slifer dorms lookin' pretty mad, and when I asked him if he was okay he just told me that Jaden was gone and might not come back. Then he ran off! I think he was crying too..."

_"WHAT?! Jaden's gone?! Hassleberry, I'll meet you there in 2 seconds!"_

Pulling the phone away from his ear, Hassleberry spoke out loud to no one in particular,

"But he's in study hall right now. How's he supposed-"

"I'M HERE!"

Jumping in surprise, Hassleberry turned to find a panting short bluenette beside him.

"How'd you're short little legs get you here so fast?!"

"Where's Jaden?!"

Quickly, Hassleberry realized Syrus wasn't going to listen to him unless he was talking about Jaden, so he answered the panting boy.

"I think he's in his dorm room."

Quickly straightening up, Syrus exclaimed,

"Then we have no time to wait! JADEN, WE'RE COMING!"

The two duelists raced off to their friend's dorm, unaware as to what laid beyond the closed door.


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter belongs to and was written by Warriorsstone, as is the original concept of the story. I'll be continuing this story starting at Chapter 8.**

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Jesse ran. Not towards anything. He just ran. The bluenette's thoughts raced with his feet as he sprinted away from the cause of his distress. As much as Jesse wanted to deny that what Haou was saying was the truth, he couldn't with all the annoying little "what ifs" that continued to creep into his mind. He didn't know what to think, so the duelist just kept on running.

Eventually, Jesse's legs tired out and his lungs hit a point to which they felt like they were about to burst. Without noticing where he was, the bluenette slowed his sprint to a light jog, soon resting up against the trunk of a lone tree. As he sunk down the rough trunk into the cool grass, Jesse realized that he had found himself at Jaden's favorite spot to escape to during class. It was a hill on the far side of Duel Academy that broke off into a cliff, and in top of it was a large willow tree. The view from the tip was gorgeous, consisting of the calm ocean stretching out for miles and overhead a cloudless sky. As much as he loved sitting there enjoying the serenity of the moment, Jesse's thought kept coming back, haunting him. Looking out towards the edge of the cliff, the bluenette lost himself in his swirling pool of thoughts as he stared off into the blue sky.

"What if what Haou said was true? What if Yubel... really is a bad guy, and she took Jaden? What if Haou is a good guy? But, that doesn't make any sense. Haou, or at least, the Supreme King sent all of our friends to the stars. Sure, they made it back fine, but what if it had seriously injured them, or worse, killed them? None of this makes any sense! I don't think I can trust what Haou says, but I won't get any answers if I don't at least listen to what he has to say. I don't know what to do..."

As the conflicted bluenette sat, running through his thoughts, he eventually fell asleep against the willow tree. While sleeping in the shade, a single tear escaped his closed eyelids and trailed down his cheek. The cool breeze gently blew through his spiked teal hair as he slightly twitched every so often in his sleep. The spring afternoon showed no signs of waking him from his sad slumber, so Jesse continued to nap through the day, alone.

"Hey, Serge! You in there?!"

Back at the Slifer dorm, Hassleberry and Syrus were currently trying to see if Jaden would come to the door. They had earlier gone up to check in on their brunette friend, but they found that the door was locked from the inside. Further worried by Jaden's strange behavior, Syrus began to get even more anxious. The short blue haired boy started to beg through the old door.

"Jaden, please open the door! If you're not feeling well we can get you some medicine or something! Wait, is that it?! Are you sick but you don't want to take any medicine?!"

No reply came back. Disappointed, Syrus leaned forward against the painted surface of the door. Seeing this, Hassleberry grabbed the small boy's shoulder and tried to reassure him.

"Hey, maybe he's sleeping! It not like the Serge wouldn't do that!"

The dino duelist laughed at his own "clever" remark, but Syrus seemed to not think that it was as funny. Clenching his fist, the bluenette whispered to himself.

"No."

Suddenly, Syrus slammed his fist against the door, scaring Hassleberry. Not paying attention to the frightened youth, he yelled through the door, trying to get his brunette friend to answer him.

"Jaden, what is wrong?! I know you can hear me, so stop ignoring me! I might just be the wimpy sidekick, but I can still help you! Just open the door and tell me what's wrong!"

Panting heavily from the shouting, Syrus leaned back up against the door, praying that Jaden would answer him. To his luck, this did manage him a response from behind the locked door, but not one he was hoping to get.

"Syrus, please... leave me alone."

Shocked by what he was hearing, Syrus found himself slowly backing up from the door. Stuttering he called back.

"N-no! Jaden, so-something is up and yo-you can't kept acting like nothing is wrong! I... I know something's been bothering you this week. You try to act like you're fine, but I can tell that's something's not right. I can't do much, but if you let try, I might be able to help you. Please..."

Stunned by Syrus' words, Hassleberry froze, gapping at the little duelist. The two stood in silence as they waited for Jaden to say something back, anything. Eventually they heard him mumble back. It was quiet, but clear enough that they could still make out what he was saying.

"Syrus, I... I'm sorry, but would you please respect my request and leave me be for the moment? I have a lot on my mind right now, and I just need to be alone for the time being to sort myself out."

Saddened and confused at what he was hearing, Syrus stared back at his friend's dorm door, frozen. He didn't know what to make of this. The little duelist just stood frozen, not speaking. Meanwhile, Hassleberry recovered from the shock of Syrus' shouting. Rubbing the back of his dreadlocked head, he spoke loudly to Syrus.

"Gee, Private! I don't know what to make of this! I want to cheer the Serge up, but he won't let us in! What do you suppose is on his mind?"

Still fixated at the door, Syrus responded to the dino duelist.

"I don't know. But I'm pretty sure whatever it is, it started about a week ago. Didn't something seem off with him in class last week?"

Striking a thinking pose, Hassleberry recalled the behavior if his brunette friend from the previous week.

"Hmm, now that you mention it, the Serge did seem a bit more spacey than usual."

"That's what I mean! And just now, he didn't sound like himself."

"Didn't sound like himself? What are you talking about, Private? That sounded like Jaden speaking just now through the door."

Looking up at the tanned duelist, Syrus stared hard at him for a moment, then returned his glance back to the locked door.

"I don't know Hassleberry. Something about it seemed different, somehow. I can't put my finger on it. *sigh* I just wish Jaden would talk to use about these things."

Syrus reached out to grab the doorknob to give it one last try, but pulled back just before touching it. Sighing, the bluenette turned to the dino duelist.

"I think, for right now, we should just leave Jaden alone."

"You sure about that, Private?"

"No, but we can't do much more besides breaking in. I don't want to go through the trouble of it just upsetting Jaden more. Let's come back tomorrow morning. The sun looks like it's about to set, and I don't want to get caught lost in the dark again!"

Laughing about that memory of the frightened duelist from the previous week, Hassleberry slapped Syrus' back and proceeded to lead him down the stairs.

"Aw come on! It wasn't that bad! I was with you the whole time!"

"Yeah! Hiding in the bushes and scaring me every time I passed by you!"

"Oh yeah! It was hilarious!"

While the two Ra Yellow walked away from the Slifer dorms, the locked dorm finally opened. As the door slowly crept open, a familiar dual colored head popped out. When he saw that the coast was clear, Haou ran back into Jaden's room, put on a pair of sunglasses, and quietly left the room. Slipping from the dorm, Haou ran off towards the seashore in hopes of finding Jesse.

As he got to the sandy beach, Haou scanned the shore and found no one in sight. Sighing in defeat, the "spirit" looked out to the horizon and watched as the sky sifted into a slight pink and orange hue. For a second, Haou allowed himself a moment of peace, but soon it was tarnished by the feeling of the empty world around him. It was sad and lonely, like how he had always been, but even more so now that Jaden's soul had been taken. These feelings caused Haou to shiver, which he told himself was from the cold breeze that came from the ocean.

As he turned back to return to the Slifer dorms, Haou noticed a familiar bluenette sleeping against a tree on a cliff further down the shoreline. Realizing that he had finally located his target, the "spirit" began his trek across the beach towards the slumbering duelist.


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter belongs to and was written by Warriorsstone, as is the original concept of the story. I'll be continuing this story starting at Chapter** **8.**

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"Why did you trust Yubel?"

The sudden voice cut through Jesse's slumber, bringing him back to reality. Rubbing the sleep from his tired eyelids, the bluenette looked out towards the sun as it slowly sank into the ocean. The vibrant pinks and reds of the sky entranced his eyes open as the young boy awoke from his rest. As he sat himself up, Jesse wondered out loud, "Have I really been asleep all afternoon?"

For a moment, the boy sat in silence as he took in the breathtaking sight before him, but soon he remembered the cause of his awakening. The duelist looked about, attempting to find the source of the questioning voice. Turning his head to the left, the bluenette found himself faced with a pair of red and brown boots. Jesse trailed his line of sight upwards and saw the familiar fluffy head of his best friend. The brunet's eyes were covered by black sunglasses as he stared off into the evening sky, hidden from the sun's rays. Jesse's voice came out shaky as he spoke to the silent boy.

"Ja-Jaden?"

As if answering his question, the smaller boy removed his sunglasses and strung them to his collar, revealing the yellow eyes that were concealed underneath up till now. Disappointed, Jesse leaned back against the willow tree, sighing. The boy sat in silence, feeling the wind slightly tousle his blue hair as it blew. He began rubbing his palms together and messing with his fingers, unsure of what to say to Haou, who stood still beside him along the willow tree's trunk.

"Jesse, why did you trust Yubel?"

Looking up at the "spirit", Jesse quickly responded, "Because Jaden trusted her, of course!"

The bluenette's answer caused Haou to release a short chuckle. Confused by his reaction, Jesse asked the boy, "What's so funny?"

Leaning back against the curving tree next to the confused bluenette, Haou answered in a humored tone, "Jaden trusted anyone. He wasn't the kind to get suspicious of people. He was a pure soul; always tried to see the good in everyone. That gullible idiot..."

The "spirit" sighed as he stared off into the pinks and oranges of the sunset. Sadness began to well up behind his yellow eyes as lost himself in thought; something Jesse immediately took note of.

"You wished that he wasn't so trusting, don't you?"

Haou visibly tensed as Jesse's question hit his ears. After a moment of hesitation, the smaller boy responded, "He might still be here if he wasn't. Yubel deceived Jaden so easily because he felt bad for what he did to her, when the cruel irony of it all was that he had only made her stronger."

This idea of Yubel betraying Jaden was something beyond Jesse. The bluenette had been told by his friend personally about what all happened because of her. Of all the pain and suffering she caused, just so she could be with Jaden. She seemed trustworthy in the brunet's eyes, even after all that she did, so that was enough for Jesse. But now, with Haou trying to convince him that Yubel really wasn't a good guy, Jesse didn't know what to think.

"Um, Haou-uh, Supreme King, um... what do you want me to call you?"

Chuckling softly at the flustered bluenette, the "spirit" tended Jesse's curiosity. "Just call me Haou. The Supreme King was just a title I took back in that dimension; a bad memory."

"Okay, Haou. Tell me what you think happened with Jaden and Yubel."

The brunet glanced away for a moment before he spoke. He seemed to not want to answer Jesse, but no hesitation strung through his question when he spoke back to the sitting boy.

"You don't trust me, do you?"

The "spirit" stood in silence as he waited for Jesse's response. The bluenette was caught off guard with the way he had chosen to answer him. Yes, Jesse didn't trust Haou, but he still wanted to know what he had to say. After several minutes of thinking himself through, the boy finally found his voice and answered, "No, I don't. But... I'm willing to hear what you have to say. I've never really been able to understand Yubel, and now I'm even more lost by what you've told me. I don't know what to think. If it is true that Jaden is no longer in his body, and it's just you in there, whatever it is that you are, then I want some sort of way to make sense of it."

Haou dug the tip of the boot he was wearing gently into the warm dirt he stood upon. Avoiding the emerald eyes of Jesse, he solemnly responded, "I wish I could tell you I'm someone you should trust, but, I don't want to lie to you. I... I can hardly trust myself anymore."

"Haou..."

Slowly, the smaller boy sat himself down besides Jesse along the side of the willow tree. Folding his legs up against himself, Haou turned his head to face the duelist. The bluenette saw tears forming in the "spirit's" eyes, though none of them fell. His voice came out trembling as he spoke to the now concerned boy.

"Jesse, I'm not evil! I've done bad things during this lifetime, I know that, but I didn't mean for them to happen the way they did. I wasn't trying to hurt anyone..."

Confused, Jesse questioned the shaking boy, "Then, why did you do all those things back in the alternate dimension? You scarred Jaden! He hasn't been the same ever since YOU happened."

Not meeting the bluenette's accusing eyes, Haou whispered breathlessly to him, "Because I didn't have a choice. Jesse, you don't know what I am; what I can do. What I did back in that dimension was the only thing I could."

"Haou, that can't be true. There's always a choice."

"Don't be so naïve!"

Haou's somewhat shaky front fell suddenly. Squeezing his eyes shut, the "spirit" started yelling at the surprised bluenette.

"You need to stop pretending that that's how the world works and wake up! Sometimes there isn't a way to do things how we wish we could. Sometimes we all have to be the bad guy. I know you don't see the world that way, but that's because you haven't been through the things I have. You haven't seen anything compared to all the shit I've been through!"

Jesse was shocked by Haou's sudden change in mood. One moment he seemed like he was about to break down again, the next, the bluenette was scared that the "spirit" might hit him or something. Frantically trying to calm him down, Jesse quietly tried to apologize for whatever caused him to freak out.

"Haou, I'm sorry-"

"SHUT UP!" cried the smaller boy.

Haou's outburst caused Jesse to lose his balance on the root he was sitting on and fell over. While the bluenette attempted to right himself up, Haou jumped up and stood over him, towering above the frightened duelist. Now was Jesse's turn to begin trembling.

As he lay frozen on the hard dirt, the tales told to him by his friends of the terror that had been the Supreme King flashed strongly in his mind. Jesse's eyes fixed on the boy who stood above him. He appeared as a power entity with glowing yellow eyes which mostly likely could pronounce fear into the heart of even the bravest of men. He seemed to be constructed of fear himself. The familiar, friendly face of Jaden no longer seemed to even be remotely present anymore; only Haou's cruel glare. The frightful presence that had been described to the bluenette couldn't hold a candlestick to the real thing.

Glaring angrily down at Jesse, Haou continued his terrifying rant. "I don't need your sympathy! I don't even know why I thought that you could be someone who could help me! I know that you were Jaden's best friend, but I don't think you'll ever trust me enough to help me get him back. Yubel is the evil one, not me! She hurt so many people to get her way! She took control of you and hurt your Crystal Beasts just so she could get to Jaden! She betrayed his trust and got him to fuse with her, what she was after all along. And now she took Jaden and is going to do who knows what kind of torture to him in order use him for the Light of Ruin! And after all this, why is it that I'm the one who can't seem to be trusted?!"

Terrified out of his wits and utterly confused, Jesse asked the frightening "spirit", "Haou, w-what are you talking about?"

Haou's glare never wavered from the duelist. He clenched his fists in anger. Still breathing heavily from the screaming, Haou spoke to Jesse, much quieter than before, but his voice still retained its underlying edge.

"Jesse, listen and for Ra's sake believe me when I tell you this. What I did, everything I did, was to protect everyone, including Jaden."

Confused still, Jesse gave him a puzzled look. He was still scared, but not so much since Haou had ceased yelling at him. "I don't understand. How is anything that you did supposed to protect anyone?"

For a moment, Haou just stared blankly down at the boy who lay trembling on the ground before him. The empty stare bore into Jesse's, freezing him to his spot in the ground. The bluenette couldn't move from underneath the frightening boy. He was too afraid to even breathe.

As Jesse waited in silence, the light breeze which had been gently blowing through the evening started to pick up. Wind began whipping through his hair as the duelist sat fixed on the ground. The air surrounding them grew immensely colder, causing Jesse to begin shivering.

Haou seemed oblivious to the sudden change of weather, though, as he stared down at the chilled bluenette. The sky darkened as the sun finally set into the calm ocean off in the distance. Almost as if it was a queue, the "spirit" spoke, barely above a whisper, "Do you believe that sometimes you have lie in order to help the greater good?"

Slightly annoyed that Haou seemed to be trying to change the subject and the freezing weather, Jesse's responded to the question in a snarky tone, "No, I've never thought that. Lying is a sin, one which I try to avoid doing."

While Jesse lay on the ground underneath Haou, he watched as his answer caused the "spirit's" blank gaze shift into a much darker one. His eyes captured a demonic appearance as he fixed it to the slightly cocky bluenette beneath him. The wind intensified around the boys as they stood amidst the darkness of the night. Jesse noticed that the air had grown even colder than before. He felt thoroughly chilled to the bone; his thin lavender shirt and blue vest gave him little protection against cold weather such as this. Jesse remained transfixed under the frightening "spirit", terrified of how he might respond.

Gripping his handing into tight fists, Haou growled down at him. "You are as naïve as Jaden was..."

Suddenly, Haou's knees gave, causing him to fall. As he collapsed up against the willow tree, the "spirit" caught himself before he hit the ground. Haou was shaking as he tried to prop himself back up to a standing position, panting heavily.

Seeing the boy in his critical state, Jesse's instincts kicked in and he leaped up to help the weak "spirit". Grabbing him gently but firmly, Jesse carefully sat Haou down in the ground in a comfortable spot next to the tree trunk. He didn't like him exactly, but Jesse wasn't about to let the boy hurt himself, not on his watch. As he let the "spirit" catch his breath, Jesse asked him, "Haou, are you okay?"

Haou's eyes remained closed as he lay against the tree trunk. He didn't look sick, just extremely exhausted. Slowly, he shook his head back and forth, telling Jesse that he wasn't doing well. His breathing continued to come out in pants which worried the bluenette further. As Jesse held Haou's shoulders in order to keep him from falling over, he feared that the boy might pass out on him. He needed answers, and an unconscious Haou was not going to be able to provide them.

After several minutes, Haou's breathing began to regulate. His trembling calmed down as he remained resting against the willow to which Jesse still held him fixed against. Slowly, Haou whispered to him in an exhausted voice, "Yubel... was everywhere, Jesse. I could feel her following Jaden all the while we were in that dimension looking for you, watching us. She took the Light of Ruin with her, plaguing everything. I needed to get you all away from there, and I could only think of one way to do it."

Staring still concerned down at the tired "spirit", Jesse asked, "What was it?"

Yellow eyes slid out from under tired lids and looked over at the bluenette beside him. Fixing them to Jesse, Haou questioned him, "What do you think it meant when someone got sent to the stars?"

_"And again with the random questions…" _Jesse thought to himself. Looking down at Haou, he figured he might as well answer him, seeing as he didn't appear to be able to lash out at him anymore, no matter what he said.

"That they would die. There didn't seem to be-"

"So you assumed the worst." The brunet chuckled lightly as he said it. "Why does that not surprise me?"

Jesse's voiced stuck in his throat when Haou cut him off. He remained fixed in shock at what the smaller boy said to him. As he squatted next to him in silence, Haou spoke again.

"If you had asked someone what it meant to be sent to the stars, do you think you would get an answer?"

Jesse didn't know how to answer. When he had gotten back to Duel Academy, everyone was already back, safe and sound. He never actually though about how they did get back, considering most of them at some point got sent to the stars. _"Where had they gone,"_ Jesse thought to himself, _"and how did they return without a scratch?"_

"Well?"

The bluenette had lost himself into his own thoughts, trying to find a good answer to what Haou had asked him. He came up with nothing.

"I... I don't know."

The exhausted "spirit" took his gaze off of Jesse and looked out towards the dark sea. The moon in the night sky was full, illuminating the waters below. The waves gently crashed into each and rolled onto the beach beyond the hill which the two boys sat upon. Haou's eyes seemed to fix on something far off in the distance, something unseen to Jesse's eyes.  
As he gazed off into the horizon, Haou spoke quietly to the bluenette. "You wouldn't. No one knew what it meant, not even Yubel. The idea of it being something to fear was enough to keep her away for a while."

"What did it mean? To be sent to the stars?" As he spoke, Jesse careful seated himself next to the "spirit". He seemed to have regained enough energy to sit up on his own, but the bluenette was worried that he might still be tired. He positioned himself next to the smaller boy so that Haou's head settled next to his shoulder, in case he came close to passing out again.

Still fixated by something in the far off distance, Haou answered Jesse in a tired voice. "Whenever someone dueled, the energy used would convert into a portal around the duelists. After the duel ended, one of the two would get snared up by the portal and sent off to some other part of the dimension."

"When did you learn about that?"

"When Jaden dueled against Harpie's Brother. After he beat that monster, Harpie's Brother vanished into cloud of light called an althea*. It's an old Neo-Spacian battle technique for wounded soldiers; for times went they had no chance of winning in a fight. It was always thought if as a cowardly technique, but... it was a good one that saved lives during war. Why it that magic was occurring in that dimension is beyond my knowledge. No one seemed to be able to control it, let alone understand it."

After a few moments of thought, Jesse expressed them. "But you did."

Glancing up at the bluenette, Haou answered in a monotone voice. "Precisely."

"And you were trying to get everyone away from Yubel by beating them in duels to send them to another part of the dimension."

"Not exactly..."

Surprised, Jesse glared down at the brunet beside him. He was confused as to what Haou meant. "What do you mean 'not exactly'?"

"I mean yes, I was dueling everyone to them away from Yubel, but I wasn't sending them to some random part of the dimension."

"Where were you sending them then?"

"Home..." Haou turned away from the bluenette's hard gaze and focused again on the horizon in the distance. The two boys sat in silence, Jesse shocked about the truth behind the fearsome act of being sent to the stars. How could it have been something to fear all this time, when in reality it save everyone? The bluenette was amazed at the ability that Haou possessed, the ability to alter the althea thing to send his friends home.

"You can do that with just duel energy?!"

"No. To use althea to send someone to a whole different dimension on only a single duel's energy is extremely risky. I couldn't take that chance, for Jaden's sake. I needed to use a different energy for it to work, one which I wished I never had to become."

"Haou, what are you?"

The smaller boy didn't answer that first. Haou just kept staring out at the ocean. He was scared, scared to tell Jesse was he really was, scared that if he did then there would be no why he could ever gain the bluenette's trust. He there was no way around it. Haou had to tell him the truth.

"I am darkness."

Jesse was confused as to what Haou meant by that, remembering earlier what he had told him back in Jaden's dorm room earlier that day. "But, you told me that you were some sort of neutral soul spirit thingy!"

"That was what I was before. What I've always been until a few months ago."

Suddenly, the "spirit" began to shift from his spot next to Jesse and slowly pick himself off of the ground. After brushing the dust off of his dark navy jeans, he turned to face the bluenette, who had remained sitting on the ground.

"My mission has always been to protect Jaden until the Neo-Spacian kingdom was ready to reclaim its power, no matter what. Becoming one of the two Absolute Powers• was something of a last resort. I never wanted to have to do it but... but I couldn't think of any other way to save him from Yubel!"

As he listened to what Haou was telling him, Jesse removed himself from the side of the tree and stood up. The bluenette carefully listened to the smaller boy in front of him as Haou spilled out his secrets.

"I was always scared that I might someday have to become the Light of Ruin or the Gentle Darkness; afraid of what might happen if I did. And the Supreme King happened, my idea of what I would be if I became evil. Becoming darkness twisted my mind and turned me into what you all thought to be the darker side of Jaden."

As Haou was speaking, Jesse slowly began to walk up to him. The brunette barely seemed to notice the taller boy approach him as he continued to speak.

"I could barely keep myself from completely losing my sanity. I never had time to adjust to the power before having to putting my plan into action, and I came across as a tyrant under the initial influence of it. Sure, it kept Yubel away, but to everyone I was a villain."

Suddenly, Jesse wrapped his long arms around him, embracing the now surprised brunet into a tight hug. As they stood in silence, Haou's arms remanded at his sides, not returning the embrace. Muffled by Jesse's shirt, Haou asked, "Why are you doing this?"

Still embracing him, Jesse answered, "Because I trust you. I believe what you've said to me, about Yubel, about those duels, about what you are. I need you to know that, so we can get Jaden back."

"You are serious?"

"Definitely. Do you not believe me?"

"It's not that. It's just that..."

Haou wriggled about, working himself out of the bluenette's arms. He was still uncomfortable with the touch of other people, especially Jaden's best friend. Once he freed himself from Jesse's hug, Haou backed away from him. Once he had gotten a good ten feet away from the bluenette, Haou continued to talk where he had left off.

"I didn't expect you to trust me so quickly, after what I did. I think... I need some time to think this over."

Jesse was saddened when he heard Haou's words, but it wasn't as if he wasn't being reasonable. Haou had never been trusted by anyone before as far as he knew, so trusting someone else was probably a whole new thing for him. The bluenette felt bad for hugging him now.

"Then I guess I'll see you in the morning, then." The words felt awkward as they came out of his mouth. Jesse tried to ignore that fact and slightly grinned at the quiet boy before him. Haou looked back at him, his eyes shifty and his face blank. He just stood there, staring at the bluenette. He looked to Jesse like he wasn't sure of how to reply to him. Eventually, Haou turned away from him and began to leave without a word. As he walked off, he paused for a moment and called back, "Yeah, see you then." He was then consumed by the night as he walked off towards the Slifer dorms.

Jesse stood alone under the willow tree as the now gentle night breeze blew past him. The bluenette stared off into the ocean, watching the waves crash into one another in an endless cycle. The dark blues of the sea meld with the blackness of the sky as the studied the horizon in the far off distance. Jesse's eyes swam with emotions, his thought swirling around in his head. So much still didn't make sense to him. There were still so many things he didn't understand. He was willing to trust Haou know, but if the "spirit" couldn't trust him in return, then they might not get Jaden back.

"Jaden," Jesse whispered softly as he stared off into the darkness of night. "Where are you?"


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter belongs to and was written by Warriorsstone, as is the original concept of the story. I'll be continuing this story starting at Chapter 8.**

* * *

As the early morning rain gently graced the tree tops, a young bluenette quickly approached the sleepy Slifer dorms. Silently climbing the stairway, the small boy ran up, pausing just before one of the several closed doors. For a moment, he stood still in front of the dorm room and stared at it. He didn't make a move for the door; he just continued to blankly gaze at the chipped surface as the raindrops fell upon him. Hesitantly, the bluenette raised his fist and knocked the old, wooden surface. Through the door he called, "Hey Jaden, are you awake yet?"

Murmurs drifted out from behind the closed door as Syrus waited patiently outside. Eventually, the familiar sound of footsteps came from within the dorm, barely heard over the steadily growing rain shower, followed by the noise of the door being clumsily unlocked. As it slowly creaked open, the figure of a sleepy brunet still in his pajamas was revealed in the dim light. The smaller boy released a sigh of relief at the sight of his friend. At least he knew that Jaden hasn't left, like Hassleberry thought Jesse said. Jaden had run away once before, and Syrus nearly lost it when he did. The tired boy grumbled as he rubbed his still closed eyes. "What's going on Syrus?"

"Uh, I was just wondering if you were okay."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Well..."

Syrus averted his eyes down at the ground, unable to meet the brunet's lidded ones. The small boy didn't even notice the cold rain pounding down on himself he was so nervous.

"You haven't really been, you know... like yourself lately."

The brunet stopped rubbing his eyes when he heard this. He spoke back to Syrus' comment quietly, "What do you mean?"

_"Did he just sound... scared?"_ Syrus thought to himself. The young boy brought his eyes up to look at his friend as he answered, "It's just, you've seemed really distant from everybody, even Jesse, and I was a bit worried-"

Suddenly, Syrus' voice froze in his throat. His face twisted in horror as he stared unblinking at the tired brunet before him. The taller boy had finally pulled his hand from his face and revealed that underneath his eyes were not brown as they always were, but yellow. A sickeningly familiar yellow that sent chills down the bluenette's spine. Slowly, Syrus began to back away from the brunet, trembling, not taking his eyes off of the boy as the rain continued to fall down on him harder.

"Syrus, what's wrong?", asked a confused Haou. As he stood in the doorway, the "spirit" watched as the bluenette backed away cautiously from him into the growing storm, looking terrified out of his mind.

Shaking tremendously, Syrus extended his wet arm out at Haou and point at him. His mouth gapped like a fish as he tried to say something, but words failed to come out. The small bluenette managed to force out stuttered sounds, ones enough to cause Haou to freeze in panic.

"Yo-you-'re th-th-the Sup-p-pr-pre-eme K-K-King!"

"_Oh shit!"_ was all that Haou thought as he watched Syrus race away from him. Slowly the "spirit" recovered from the shock of the moment and sprinted back into his room. He shoved on his boots and red jacket over his white pajama shirt, and then proceeded to chase after the terrified bluenette. As he exited the room, Haou found that Syrus had already vanished from sight.

_"How does that guy run so fast?",_ Haou momentarily thought as he raced down the stairs and off into the direction he remembered seeing Syrus run in earlier.

Syrus ran blindly through the forest as the rain pounded down around him. His glasses had long since fogged over and were now useless. The bluenette didn't notice his inability to tell whether or not he might run straight into a tree though. He was too terrified to slow down, afraid that the Supreme King might be trailing just behind. Unfortunately, his luck doesn't last long, as he eventually did run straight into a thin tree.

As Syrus bounced off the tree, he noticed that the plant seemed to jump as it was plowed into. The bluenette wiped off his foggy glasses on his yellow coat and as he replaced them, the surprised "tree" stretched out a "branch" towards him and asked in an Australian accent, "Oi mate, you okay? I reckon it must be hard to run in this weather with your glasses all fogged up like they are."

Syrus, now with clean lens, looked up at a very wet, smiling Jim.

"Jim! We have to run now! Come on!"

After leaping up, the small bluenette attempted to shove the Australian in the direction of which he was going, but seeing as Jim was at least twice his size, Syrus failed miserably. The blacked hair man looked down at the distressed duelist pushing him, confused, "Wo there! What's got you all up in a frenzy? Is Hassleberry chasing you again?"

"No! Jim, it's the Supreme King! He's back!"

Jim froze, not able to believe the bluenette's words.

"No... That's not possible!"

"I just saw him, Jim! Down in Jaden's dorm-"

Syrus was cut off for in the blink of an eye, the Australian bent down and grabbed the bluenette's shoulders, holding his arms down at his side. Jim stared intensely into the small boy's eyes, a haze of fear growing within his uncovered blue eye. The young man whispered shaky, "Syrus, t-that isn't possible! Axel sent him to the stars. He can't be here!"

"But I just saw him when I went to check on Jaden!" Syrus told him. "He answered the door to Jaden's dorm! He's taken over him again!"

Jim stared down at Syrus in shaky disbelief. He didn't think that the words weren't registering correctly in his head. He couldn't believe that what Syrus was saying could be... true. That HE was back!

The Australian grabbed Syrus' hand and ordered him to follow him. The small boy complied with Jim's order, unnerved by how scared the young man seemed to be. The two ran through the forest in the pouring rain until they got to the Obelisk Blue Dorm, where they took refuge inside. The duelists stood panting in the empty hallway, out of breath by the long, cold sprint. Syrus nervously watched the glass, waiting to see if the Supreme King might show up from within the trees. From behind him, Jim asked, "Please tell me that what you told me isn't true, mate."

Syrus sighed as he gazed out into the early morning storm. The sun was completely blocked out by the thick, dark clouds, making it seem as though it was still night time. The wind blew the forest trees harshly into one another, threatening to knock them down. Anyone caught out in the storm probably would have tried to find some sort of shelter by now.

"I'm telling you the truth Jim."

Syrus turned back and saw the devastated look in the Australian's face. It hurt the bluenette to tell him it, but not informing him of what he saw might cause much trouble later.

"I went to his dorm to see if he was okay, and when he answered the door, his eyes were yellow. The same way the Supreme King's eyes were."

"No..."

The Australian collapsed up against the wall, appearing dazed and confused.

"When I saw them I ran into the forest. I don't know if he followed me, but if he did, he probably got caught in this storm and-"

"That can't be true..."

Jim no longer seemed to be listening to Syrus anymore. He slid slowly down the wall onto the floor, muttering softly to himself as he stared blankly.

"We got rid of him... I know we did. Axel used the Eye of Oricalcum and sent him to the stars. We risked everything to save Jaden. There's no way he can be back... there's just no way."

Jim's strange state of despair caught Syrus completely off guard. This wasn't the up-beat, positive Jim that he knew. Something had to be off. Something had to be missing, something that always seemed to be there.

"Where's Shirley?"

Jim, not bothering to look up at Syrus, answered glumly, "Somewhere out there, in the storm."

Bingo.

The Australian glanced over at the glass doors, as if expecting his scaly friend to appear. But he was let down. She wasn't there. No one was.

"Syrus..."

The bluenette stared down at the depressed young man. "Yeah?"

"Are you sure that it was the Supreme King?"

Jim's eyes quivered up at Syrus as he waited for him to answer him. When the small boy nodded, the Australian dropped his head in defeat._ "How could this have happened?", _Jim thought to himself. _"Hadn't they beaten him_?" The young man picked himself off the floor and began walking away Syrus down the hallway.

The small boy watched as Jim started to leave him. The Australian held a thick air of defeat around him, his shoulders slumped and his confident stride was a mere shadow of its former self. As he walked away, Syrus called out and asked, "What are we going to do?"

Jim paused in mid stride and glumly answered, "I don't know, mate."

The two stood in silence as the sound of the storm outside echoed the halls. Neither one of them moved from their places, neither one knew what they should do. They were at a lost.

Suddenly, though, they heard a loud creak come from behind them as someone opened to glass doors of the Obelisk dorm. Both Syrus and Jim turned on a dime, terrified of who might be coming in from the storm. Their breaths were held as they watched an extremely wet and out of breath figure slam the doors shut behind himself and slump against them, holding the large doors closed. As the boy's breathing returned to a regular pace, he slowly opened his eyes to see a shocked Syrus and Jim staring at him. Recognizing them, he called out, "Oh, hey guys!"


	5. Chapter 5

**This chapter belongs to and was written by Warriorsstone, as is the original concept of the story. I'll be continueing this story starting at Chapter 8.**

* * *

"Oh, hey guys!"

Jesse stood leaning against the door, tired after running back to the Obelisk dorm while on his way to see Haou. He was soaked from head to toe in the freezing rain water, and desperately wanting to get out of his wet clothes and into some dry ones. The bluenette smiled while he rested on the door at Jim and Syrus, who both looked terrified. Did he really look that miserable right now?

"So, did you two get caught in the storm too?"

Jim just stared back at Jesse, not muttering a word. The Australian appeared completely frightened and on edge, like he was waiting for something to jump out as if he were in a horror movie. Syrus, also looking quite scared, answered him in an odd tone, "Um, yeah! We were in the forest looking for Shirley and, well... it got pretty, uh, bad out there! So we came back."

"Right..."

Something about what Syrus told him didn't sit right with him. Jesse removed himself from the door and wrung out his thick hair, dropping rain water all over the already wet floor. He looked down at the smaller bluenette as he walked by him on his way down the hall. As he was just crossing him, Jesse asked them, "Did you guys happen to see Jaden while you two were out looking for Shirley? I was on my way to his dorm but the storm cut me off."

Syrus' eyes widened at the question. He looked scared. But, scared of what? Both duelists appeared to be terrified of something. Maybe it was the storm that was freaking them out, Syrus being Syrus and Jim being worried about his crocodile.

"Um... Listen, mate," Jim finally said. "Syrus saw Jaden earlier this morning..."

Yay, it was just the storm.

"In his dorm room..."

"And, well..."

Totally the storm.

"The Supreme King is back!" Syrus cried out, nearly in tears.

Looks like it wasn't the storm.

Jesse frowned at the two duelists. He realized that he was going to have to explain to them that the Supreme King, no, that Haou was on their side. But, judging by the way they were acting, convincing them that Haou was a good guy was not going to be easy. Also, Jim and Syrus had actually seen Haou when he was terrorizing the alternate dimension, unlike himself who had only been told about it. They had seen all the pain that the Supreme King had caused to Jaden when he was trying to protect him from Yubel and the Light of Ruin.

"I know."

Jim and Syrus both simultaneously gasped at Jesse's confession. The smaller bluenette accusingly questioned the taller one, "What do you mean 'I know'?!"

Jesse looked down at the angry Syrus. His face was sad as he answered him, "Because I found him yesterday, crying in Jaden's bed, going on about how it was all his fault that Jaden was gone."

Jim placed a hand in Jesse's wet shoulder and asked, "Jesse, what are you talking about? What's going on?"

"Well, you see-"

All of a sudden, one of the large glass doors flung open and something dove into the hallway through it. The thing then slammed the door shut behind itself, just as something on the outside rammed into it. The glass shook, threatening to crack against the force, but it held. As soon as the glass ceased trembling, the wet figure then collapsed down on to the floor in a miserable heap.

The three duelists stared shocked at the wet figure before them. Whoever it was, he looked like he had just gone through hell. His water darkened brown hair was flattened tight to his exhausted head, concealing his face. His clothes, which consisted of what used to be a white t-shirt and gray sweatpants, were horribly torn and dirtied. His skin was sickly pale and pruned from being in the storm outside and covered in small nicks and scratches. But worst all, his right arm was coated in blood and bent in an unnatural direction from the middle of the forearm down, and his breathing seemed to be slowing down by the second.

"Haou!", Jesse screamed, immediately recognizing the miserable figure. The bluenette sprinted towards the "spirit" and carefully picked him up off the floor. He looked down at the brunet in critical condition and wondered how this had happened. Glancing up at Jim, he informed, "We have to get him to emergency care, now!"

The Australian nodded and took Haou from Jesse, being that he was stronger and could therefore carry him faster. He didn't question the wet bluenette as to who it was. The unconscious boy didn't look like he had that kind of time to waste. The three duelists then made a mad dash for the hospital wing located nearby in a different hall of the dorm, rushing past all the confused looks of Obelisk Blue students who were proceeding to go their first class of the day, which they had not learned of yet had been cancelled due to the storm outside.

"Nurse Catherine*, we need your help!"

The elderly woman turned and was shocked to see two blue haired boys, one dry and one very wet. "Oh dear." old Nurse Catherine thought to herself. "Someone decided to play outside in the rain and probably has a cold now. Silly kids these days, always getting themselves sick."

"If you need some cold medicine, dearie," the woman said, addressing Jesse, "I'm afraid to say that we are all out for the time being."

Confused by the nurse's nonsense babbling, Jesse snapped back, "No! I'm fine! My friend is in critical condition right now and needs serious medical attention!"

The wet bluenette pointed towards the curtain on the far side of room, to which behind concealed a bed. The elderly nurse was frazzled by Jesse's sudden anger, but hustled over to the bed to examine the patient. When she pulled the curtain back, the woman let out a quick scream at the sight. Jim had laid Haou, who was still covered in his torn clothes, down in the bed. The "spirit's" injured arm rested across his chest, continuing to bleed out on to top him. Nurse Catherine had never seen someone in such a condition before, and she was nowhere near qualified to treat the boy.

"W-what ha-happened t-to th-this boy?!", the nurse stuttered.

Jim looked up, now noticing the drawn curtain, and answered, "We don't know. We were by the front door and he came in. When he shut the door behind himself, something hit it hard, like a large animal was chasing him and couldn't stop before hitting the door. Then he collapsed."

The woman stared shocked at the critical patient, speechless. Jesse gently shock her and pleaded, "Nurse, please help him! I don't know how much longer he can make it!"

The elderly Catherine glanced up at Jesse and confessed to him, "Boy, I am nowhere near qualified to give this boy medical assistance. I am a school nurse, not a doctor. I don't know how to help him."

Haou's breathing was hollow sounding as the room grew silent. Jesse stared at Nurse Catherine, shocked by her words. _"She couldn't save him."_ he realized. _"She couldn't."_

The bluenette tuned out as Jim ordered Syrus to call Principal Shepard to call in an emergency medical team for the boy in the bed whose identity was still unknown to them. The two duelists rushed passed him to try to find a way to help the critical boy.

Nurse Catherine gently squeezed his arm, getting back his attention. Jesse stared blankly down at her as she spoke, "I will do what I can to help him, but I can't promise you much. Your friends are getting professionals to come and give him proper treatment, and I'm sure they will get here soon. For now I can stop the bleeding in his arm and bring down his fever, but I will need your help. Can you do that?"

Jesse nodded at her, still in a fuzzy haze. The old woman smiled kindly at him and began instructing him on how to get the blood flowing from Haou's mangled arm to stop as she put an IV in his other. The bluenette watched the "spirit" with a worried expression as he pressed fabric up to the wound, not even noticing when the paramedics arrived. They quickly pulled Jesse from the bedside and got him out into the hallway, out if the way of the medical crew. Him, Jim, and Syrus stood quietly as they began their wait.

* * *

"Who was that, Jesse?"

Jesse looked up Jim, confused.

"Huh?"

"That boy, who is he? You called him Haou when he came in."

"Oh, him."

Jesse avoided Jim's gaze as he looked down at his hands. What was he supposed to say? Just blurt out that he was the Supreme King. It seemed like a bad idea, but he wasn't about to lie to them. But what would he tell them?

"Well, Haou, um... well he's-"

"Excuse me!"

Jesse was cut off by the sound of Nurse Catherine's voice entering the hall. The elderly woman appeared tired, but she still held her wide grin on her face. She walked up to Jesse and his hands with her own. Catherine spoken quietly to the bluenette, "Your friend is alright. I've brought his fever down and the medical team got him all cleaned up. They had to re-break his arm though to get it back to it's original position, but it should heal fine now that they got it well casted. But... they said that it looked like he had gotten bit by a crocodile, considering how the break appeared. There aren't any of those on this island, are there?"

Jesse looked down at the nurse puzzled. "I don't think so," he answered. "The only one I can think of is Jim's crocodile, Shirley."

Offended by the slight accusation of his scaly friend, Jim snapped at the bluenette, "Shirley wouldn't even hurt a fly, let alone a person!"

"I'm sorry, Jim!", Jesse apologized. "I didn't mean anything by that! I was just stating the fact, that's all!"

Jim glared angrily at the bluenette, making him extremely uncomfortable. The nurse, though, still had something to say to him. Slightly shaking his hands which were still encased in her's, she reclaimed Jesse's attention.

"Would you like to see your friend now?" Catherine asked. "He's still unconscious, but if you go talk to him, he might just wake up."

"Thank you, Nurse Catherine."

The old woman smiled back at him. "You're welcome."

Catherine led Jesse to the curtain enclosed bed. He stopped just before it, nervous to see what laid behind them. Looking down at the nurse, the bluenette saw that she was giving him a reassuring smile. Then she pulled the curtain open, and revealed to the three duelists the patient.

Haou laid in the bed, still unconscious, with his head up against a pillow. The paramedics had removed the "spirit's" rag of a shirt and replace it with a fresh one with covered many small bandages all over him. His arm, which had previously been bent in a 90 degree angle, was now back in its anatomic position and wrapped up in a thick casting. Jesse released a sigh of relief, seeing that Haou was no longer in critical condition. But next to him, the bluenette heard Syrus gasp. Looking down at the smaller boy, he asked, "What wrong, Syrus?"

The small bluenette looked up at Jesse, tears in his eyes. "It's the Supreme King," Syrus stated. "I went to go see if Jaden was okay, because he had been acting off this week. But when I went to his dorm, the Supreme King had taken over him. He must have followed me into the forest, where he got attacked by something."

The bluenette looked like he was about to completely fall apart. As he spoke, his lip trembled and tears rain down his face.

"This is just so strange!" Syrus exclaimed. "The Supreme King deserved this, the pain, but it's still Jaden's body, and its Jaden's body that got hurt. I don't know what I should be feeling right now!"

Placing a hand upon the little bluenette's shoulder, Jesse told him, "No Syrus, neither of them deserved what happened, neither Jaden nor Haou."

"Who's Haou?" asked Jim, who stood transfixed by the boy in the bed.

"Haou is his name, the Supreme King's name."

Looking up at Jesse, the Australian asked, "How do you know that?"

The wet boy glanced down the unconscious boy in the bed before replying. "Here we go," Jesse mentally told himself. "See, here's what happened..."


	6. Chapter 6

**This chapter belongs to and was written by Warriorsstone, as is the original concept of the story. I'll be continueing this story starting at Chapter 8.**

* * *

"So... this is the Supreme King?"

Jesse nodded, not taking his eyes off of Haou who lay unconscious in the hospital bed. The bluenette couldn't help but stared at the series of tubes trailing from the brunet into several machines alongside the bed. Ever since he was little, medical equipment always made him feel on edge and uncomfortable. Jesse's thoughts began to wandering as the constant beeping noises that the machines emitted began to bring back old memories in his mind. So many machines... IVs everywhere... they said it would work... they promised...

"Hello, Earth to Jesse!"

The bluenette's mind snapped back to reality as Jim's hand waved in front of his face.

"Sorry. I kind of spaced out."

The tall dark-haired duelist laughed at him.

"Well that wasn't hard to figure out, mate! I've asked you the same question five times already!"

Running his hand through his hair, Jesse replied, "Sorry about that. What was it again?"

Jim's face changed into a slightly serious expression. The Australian's mood no longer read light and cheerful as it normally was. It was more heavy, and lost.

"I asked you how long that you've know about this, about him."

Jesse glanced back at the brunet sleeping in the bed before responding.

"I just found out yesterday. I went to Jaden's dorm room and I found him. I didn't really talk to him until later in the afternoon, though."

"So when Hassleberry ran into you, had you just found him?" Syrus interjected.

"Yep," Jesse answered.

The three stood in silence, all staring down at Haou. The machines' beeping echoed through the room, mixing with the sound of rain pounding down on the roof and the "spirit's" steady breathing.

"Does he know where Jaden is?"

Jesse glanced down at Syrus, the little bluenette looking up at him, waiting for an answer. The Obelisk shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I don't know. Haou never said if he did."

Suddenly, the duelists heard a tired grunt emitted from the bed. They looked down and saw Haou shifting slightly in the bed. The medicine had finally worn off so that the "spirit" was waking up. They watched with baited breaths as they say the brunet flinch as he opened his eyes, not prepared for the light. Slowly, Haou looked up at them and finally asked, "Why am I here?"

* * *

_Earlier that day, in the forest._

"Syrus, where are you?!"

Haou ran through the trees as the rain pounded down around him harshly. Claps of thunder roared through the sky, threatening to worsen the already brewing storm. The "spirit" didn't have much time left to find the frightened bluenette before it would get too dangerous to stay outside. So Haou continued to run amidst the forest, keeping an eye out for any shred of familiar blue hair or yellow jacket.

Eventually, Haou realized that he was completely lost. The "spirit" froze and looked at his surroundings, none of which was familiar to him, especially during the stormy weather. "Well this is just great!" Haou began to yell, finally snapping. "First Jaden got taken, then I realize that I'm afraid to trust anyone, and now I'm lost in this stupid forest in a freakin' storm! This week just can't get any worse, can it?!"

As if the world was listening to his whining, something on the ground "tripped" Haou, sending him down hard on to the muddy earth face first. Slowly pulling his face out of the mud, he groaned out loud, "Thank you, world, so very much."

The "spirit" began to pick himself out of the mud, but a growl next to him caused him to freeze. Haou couldn't seem to be able to move, frozen on the ground in fear. He felt a movement beside himself, along with the sensation of something smooth brush gently against his right leg, but he couldn't bring himself to look and see what is was. The "spirit" begged that whatever the thing was it would leave him alone if he remained still.

But the world decide to tune out at that moment, for he suddenly heard a loud hiss and felt a tremendous pain run through his right arm as an immense pressure slammed hard down it. Haou screamed into the pain while it worsened as whatever was clamped to his arm began rocking side to side. Forcing himself to glance over, the "spirit" saw the large crocodile jaws encasing his arm. It took less then a second for him to understand that the beast was about to do a death roll, in an attempt to rip his arm off.

Haou prepared himself, and when the reptile flipped, he flipped with it. After the 5th turn of rolling amidst the mud and branches, Haou thought that the crocodile was done, but it instead flipped over the other way, twisting and snapping Haou's forearm back. Again, Haou screamed in searing pain. The "spirit" felt as if he were about to lose consciousness and slip away into the pain.

But suddenly, a tremendous bolt of lightning flashed through the sky, lighting up the forest for an instant before fading away. The crocodile snarled and released Haou's arm momentarily out of surprise, and the "spirit" immediately took the opportunity to escape. Haou began to carefully pull his now unnaturally bent forearm out if the reptile's mouth, blood dripping out in streams through his torn jacket from the bite wound, his movements careful as not to alert the large creature.

Unfortunately, the crocodile recovered before the "spirit" had anticipated and snapped its mouth back down, snaring Haou's jacket and ripping it from his thoroughly soaked frame. The sudden jerk of the fabric getting torn off sent a new wave of pain all through Haou's worn body. But he was free, and that was all that mattered for the time being.

With the reptile now distracted by the red cloth its mouth, the "spirit" took off in a sprint through the forest, cradling his arm all the while. The "spirit" called for help as he cut through the trees, but the rainstorm drowned out his voice, so even if there were people outside at the time, they wouldn't have heard his cries anyway. He was stranded, lost amidst the trees in the freezing storm.

Haou ran for so long that he felt as though his legs would give out under him at any moment, but tripping was not a luxury he had. He could hear the crocodile behind him, still pursuing him. No matter where the "spirit" went, somehow the large beast was still able to keep up with him. It was after him. It wanted him, and it wasn't about to stop. Haou realized that if he wanted to get away from the charging reptile alive, he needed to get inside some sort of building.

Then suddenly, as if the world finally decided to cut him a break, the trees parted and revealed a massive blue and white castle. Several yards away, Haou saw the large glass doors which lead inside the huge building. This could be his saving grace.

The "spirit" bolted towards the doors, praying that they weren't locked. If they were, then the crocodile, which was in striking distance from him, would have him cornered. Haou flew up the steps and thrust one of the doors open, charging inside. He slammed it shut behind him and braced his soaked body up against the glass panel, waiting for impact of the reptile.

Not soon as he got the door closed did the crocodile run straight into the panel, violently shaking it to the point of breaking. Haou held his breath, waiting to see if the doors would remain intact. When they're vibrating stopped, Haou released his breath and collapsed to the floor. He was exhausted and the world felt so light and blurry. All he wanted to do was fall asleep. He barely even noticed when he heard someone called his name...

* * *

A bright light blinded Haou as he opened his eyes, causing him to immediately slam them shut. The "spirit" started to raise his arm to block the strange light, but he found the he was unable to lift it. Haou parted his eyelids a sliver's width and glared down at the heavy appendage. His arm was encased in a thick plaster casing, which prevented him from moving it from the elbow down. It laid limply at his side, feeling oddly numb.

As Haou continued to stare at his injured arm in confusion, his eyes adjusted to the bright light which flooded down upon him. With his vision clearer, Haou noticed three figures standing alongside the bed. The "spirit" brought his eyes off of his limp appendage and glared at the people staring down at him. He felt his whole body tense as he asked, "Why am I here?"

"You are in the hospital wing of the Obelisk Blue dorm," Jesse answered, pulling a chair up to the bedside and sitting down. "You passed out after coming in from the storm with your arm... well... the way it was."

The bluenette's eyes trailed down and Haou followed the boy's gaze down to his encased arm. The "spirit" now noticed the small series of tubes connected to his arm, all flowing semi-transparent liquid into him. Haou looked back up at Jesse, who now sat at eye level with him, and saw the guilty glint in his eyes. They both sat in silence as the sound of the rain beating on the roof echoed through the roof.

"What did you do to Jaden?"

Haou quickly glanced up at Syrus, who had just questioned him. The small boy was staring down at him in the bed, his glare boring into him. The "spirit" felt awkward under his gaze, but he held his own against it, boring his cold glare back at Syrus. Haou felt weak in his current state, exhausted and all over numb, but he was to about to let this boy think that he had power over him. As he glared back at Syrus and replied, the "spirit" noticed that his challenging presence quickly dwindle back into its usual timid air.

"I tried to protect him."

The room fell once again into silence. Syrus had lost his confident air, Jesse had no idea of what to say, and Jim... Jim was shocked to see the Supreme King again, or Haou, as the tall bluenette has put it. Staring down at those cold yellow eyes once again on Jaden's kind face gave the Australian chills. It was like looking at a completely different person, the severe hardness of the brunet was so unlike him, and he gave of a strangely powerful aura, even in his crippled state.

"Haou," said Jim. The "spirit's" eyes focused on the Australian, instantly making him uncomfortable. The gaze was threatening, as if they were challenging him to question him.

"Yes?", the cold brunet replied.

Jim forced himself to keep eye contact as he spoke to Haou. The boy frightened him, and he didn't want to appear weak in anyway in his presence. It wasn't his conscience thought, more instinctual.

"Where's Jaden?"

Yellow eyes widened at the question and quickly darted away, avoiding contact with the others. The duelists stood in silence, all shocked to see the fear and confusion which flooded into Haou's face. Jim glanced down at Jesse with a questioning gaze, but was met with a similar expression from the seated bluenette. The one-eyed man looked back to the "spirit", whose position remained the same on the bed. Haou sat frozen, biting his lowering lip slightly, with fear in his eyes. Jim had never seen such a look from the "spirit".

"Please tell me that you know where his is."

The brunet turned his slowly towards the Australian, shaking it slowly side to side in response. Syrus, shocked at this news, stepped back from the bed. The small bluenette clenched his fists in anger and suddenly began to yell at the crippled boy, "No! No, you're lying. You have to know where Jaden is! Stop lying!"

"Syrus!?" the two duelists said simultaneously at the outraged boy. He was shaking in anger, his gaze fixed on Haou, who now sat calmly in the hospital bed. The brunet acted unfazed as his glare darkened at Syrus. The "spirit" spoke with a flat tone back to Syrus, as if he didn't have any sort of emotion behind his words.

"I don't know where Jaden is. Yubel took him, I don't know where. All I know is that she has him."

"You were a part of Jaden!" Syrus continued to scream. "You were with him when he fused with Yubel!" Tears began to form within his grey eyes. The small boy shook in his upset anger, his trembling gently shaking the hospital bed to which his hand gripped tightly. Jim and Jesse looked at one another, unsure of how to deal with him, neither of them wanting Syrus to upset Haou who still frightened the both of them. But, the two realized that they were just as confused as he was, and were curious to understand what had happened. So they allowed the small bluenette to cry out to Haou, who sat with a blank face.

"You have to know something... anything." Syrus looked up at the "spirit" with pleading eyes, begging for answers. He was met with a cold glare.

"I've already told you. I don't know where she took him."

The sigh of defeat Syrus released echoed through the quiet room. The bluenette finally let his sad tears stream down his face, crumbling down into Jesse's now empty chair. Haou winced slightly at the sight, Syrus with his head burrowed in his hands.

"Excuse me boys!"

Jim and Jesse glanced back to find the old nurse standing behind them, grinning back. The woman held a small cup of pills in one hand and a glass of water in the other.

"I need to give your friend some pain medication."

The boys stepped out of the way of Nurse Catherine, allowing her access to Haou. The nurse handed the brunet the pills over Syrus, who sat slightly in the way of her. Haou took the cup and popped the drugs into his mouth and swallowed them, not even bothering to take them with water. Catherine began to had him the glass of water, but the brunet turned it down. He handed her back the cup which previously held the pain pills and the nurse took it back to the sink across the small room. As she began to wash out the drinking glass, Nurse Catherine asked the duelists, "Don't you boys have classes that you have to be in?"

"We aren't allowed to go out of the dorm due to the storm," Jim replied. "All of our classes today have been cancelled since we can't go to the main building."

The nurse looked back at the Australian for moment with a confused expression, like she didn't know what storm he was talking about. Jim could see the little gears slowly working in her head, trying to make sense of the information he had just given him. Eventually, all the pieces clicked and the old nurse smiled back at him while saying, "Well it's nice that you're spending your time making sure that your friend is okay. But I have told you, sadly, that visiting hours end in a few minutes. You're friend's had a big day, and he needs to rest."

"That's okay. We were gonna be leaving soon anyway. Ready, guys?"

Syrus looked up at Jim, eyes red and droopy. The small bluenette nodded and got up from his chair, slowly trudging out of the hospital wing. Jim and Jesse began to follow behind him, both saying their good-byes to Haou, when the brunet stopped them.

"I... I have to tell you something."

The two boys froze, both nervous of what the brunet needed to tell them. Jesse gulped quietly and asked, "What is it?"

"I just thought this, but... I think I might know how we can find out where Yubel took Jaden."

Their eyes opened wide, both the bluenette's and the ravenette's. They rushed to Haou side faster than the blink of an eye. Jim stared down and frantically asked him, "You think you know where he is?!"

Haou, slightly startled by suddenly being surrounded, paused before answering the Australian.

"No, you didn't understand me. I don't know where Yubel took him."

Jim's expression quickly became downcast, disappointment spreading across his face.

"But," Haou continued. "Jesse might know."

The Australian's expression quickly shifted into an extremely confused one as he glanced at Haou, then his gazed moved to Jesse, who looked equally confused, if not even more. The bluenette looked down at the brunet.

"Say what?!"


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter belongs to and was written by Warriorsstone, as is the original concept of the story. I'll be continuing this story starting at Chapter 8.**

* * *

"Say what?!"

Jesse stared down at Haou, utterly confused by what the brunet just told him and Jim. The "spirit" fixed his yellow eyes on him and said in all seriousness, "I'm saying that I believe that there is some possibility that you might know where Yubel took Jaden."

"Yeah, I heard you! Are you sure that is not the medicine making you think funny?"

Haou narrowed his gaze at Jesse, not at all amused by him.

"Jesse, think about it. Yubel possessed you while you were in that other dimension. For a short while, you two shared the same body. You could have heard her thoughts, learned what she had planned! You might know where she took Jaden!"

"That does make sense," said Jim.

Jesse glanced back and forth between the two, bewildered.

"But I don't remember anything that happened during the time that Yubel possessed me! Besides, she stuck my soul in my card, so we didn't share a body. And if I had known what she was planning, do you really think I wouldn't have done anything to save Jaden from Yubel this whole month?!"

"He does have a point," Jim added in.

"Will you be quiet?", Jesse snapped at Jim. "You're not helping us here."

The Australian gestured as if he were to comment back, but folded his long arms against his chest and stood quietly beside the bed instead.

"Thank you," Jesse said, releasing a sigh of relief. "Anyway, Haou, your idea doesn't work. I have no memory of anything that happened when Yubel took over me. She put me into my Rainbow Dragon card and that's where I woke up just before Jaden got me out. The last thing I can remember before that was when Jaden and I dueled Yubel and I attacked her with Rainbow Dragon. Everything between is blank."

Haou stared back at Jesse, disappointment written across his face. His eyes drifted off the bluenette and down onto the fleece material covering his body in the hospital bed. The "spirit's" eyes were swimming in a lost confusion.

"I'm sorry, Haou."

"No... Wait!"

The brunet refocused his attention back to Jesse, his yellow eyes now sparkling.

"There is a probability that Yubel didn't put you into your card at first!"

Jesse looked down at the excited brunet, completely confused. He didn't seem to be able to understand what Haou was getting at. The bluenette flashed a small frown before replying, "So, what difference does it makes?"

"It means," Haou answered. "That if you and Yubel did at some point share a body, then she might have told you something. Then when that demon moved your soul out, the transfer could have given you some form of amnesia. Not like wide scale amnesia, but enough just to cover up that time when you two co-existed in your body."

"So, what you're saying... is that there is a chance that Jesse might know Yubel's plans," Jim asked. "But he just can't remember at the moment?"

"My point exactly," Haou answered back.

"Pardon me, boys," a voice behind the curtain spoke.

Jim turned back towards the voice and pulled open the thick material. Behind he revealed a smiling Nurse Catherine.

"Oi! Hello there, Nurse Catherine!"

"Hello there, Jim." she responded back, still smiling her cheesy grin. "I must inform you that visiting hours are over. You and Jesse have to leave now."

Jim looked down at the small, elderly woman, slightly taken back. "But ma'am-"

"No butts! Your friend needs his rest, so you two should be going now. Come on, now!"

* * *

Nurse Catherine quickly shoveled the two duelists out of the wing, locking the door after shoving them out. Obviously, she didn't believe Jesse when he promised that they would leave and not come back till visiting hours. The bluenette was a bad liar, after all.

"Great," Jesse said glumly. "Now what are we supposed to do?"

"I'm at a loss, mate!" Jim threw his hands up into the air in defeat. The Australian looked worn out. "This storm has made this day even more of a mess. I just can't think anymore."

Jesse saw the exhaustion in Jim's face. Feeling bad for getting his friend wrapped up this whole thing, the bluenette grabbed his friend's shoulder. The Australian looked at him, his eyes glazed slightly as he stared.

"Yeah, Jesse?"

"Go back to bed Jim. Just... just get some sleep. You looked exhausted."

The black-haired duelist chuckled softly, patting Jesse's hand.

"Thanks mate. I'm off to my dorm. See you a little later!"

"Okay... uh, Jim?"

The Australian turned back, having already begun to trek back to his room. He stared at Jesse, waiting to hear what Jesse wanted to say.

"Could you not tell anyone about this?"

"About Jaden being gone?"

"Uh... Yeah. I just don't think it would be a good idea to spread that kind of news around."

"Sure thing, Jesse!"

Jim gave the boy a quick thumbs up and then let him alone in the corridor. Just as he was alone, Jesse muttered to himself, "And for Haou's sake, too..."

* * *

_5 weeks later._

"Hello! Earth to Jesse! Class is over!"

Jesse woke up from his daydream with a start, jumping in his uncomfortable plastic chair. He didn't realize that he had drifted off that much.

"Sorry Alexis! I'm a little spacey today."

"I'll say! You've been like this all morning! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

The blonde girl gave him a funny look as he tried to plaster in a smile. She cast it off quickly, ignoring Jesse's odd behavior.

"We have to leave right now if we want to get to our next class in time. So hurry up, please!"

"Alright, I'm going."

Jesse stood up from his seat ad began to gather his things. Once he was all organized, the bluenette stacked everything into a pile and started to pick it up from the desktop.

"By the way... do you know when Jaden's going to get back from visiting his parents?"

Hearing Alexis ask about Jaden startled Jesse, causing him to accidentally drop his carefully organized textbooks to the ground. The girl quickly tried to apologize for what she believed was her fault and starts to gather the bluenette's fallen items.

"No it's okay! I'm a klutz. I got it."

Jesse bent down for his books, putting his hand on the desk top for balance. As he bent over, the world suddenly turned fuzzy. His sight flashed been darkness and the sky blue carpet of the classroom. The bluenette felt himself quickly fatigue and fall away from the desktop; the floor came slowly up to him as he went. Everything drifted into darkness, and the last thing Jesse could see was the panicked face of Alexis looking down at him before he lost consciousness.

* * *

_(Start Flashback)_

"You're mine now…"

His body… it was no longer in his control. Jesse could feel himself standing up from the ground, but it wasn't on his own accord. As his body rose, his hand grabbed a craggy rock beside him for support. The cold surface of the stone felt distant on his skin, like it was far away. The bluenette tried to speak, but his mouth no longer obeyed him. He could only think.

_"What's… going on?"_

"I'm going to use you, Jesse."

He heard himself say this, his voice emitting from his mouth and acting on its own. Jesse felt the panic begin to flood into his altered consciousness, shaking his mental being.

_"Who are you?"_

His body stood up fully and brushed the dirt off of his clothes, or tried to, for the dusty particles remained clung to the soft materials no matter how the betraying hands attempted to work it off. The bluenette's eyes scanned the surroundings, taking in the darkened territory. Rocks and rubble cluttered the world; the area showed desolate, save a small cluster of lights in the distance. Jesse felt a chuckle form in his throat; whatever had possessed his body found the fear in his thought question amusing.

"Oh, you know who I am. You tried to take my Jaden away from me, remember? And you see... I can't have that, because I have a job to do, and I need Jaden to do it. So you are going to help me get him back."

So it was Yubel.

Jesse's mental presence gasped quietly, the realization hitting him. The bluenette felt his betraying face form a cocky smirk. The demon seemed to be enjoying his fear.

Yubel stood in silence, gazing about the darkened terrain. She seemed to be searching for something amidst the rocks. Jesse wanted to ask her what she was looking for, but his sudden timidness made him unable to "voice" his frightened curiosity. Suddenly, the bluenette's body shot forward, sprinting along through the ruined remains of what once might have been a small village, now destroyed by some unknown force.

_'Did Yubel do this? Did she destroy this place… through me?'_

As quickly as his body started, no sooner did it stop silently next to what appeared to be a shelter constructed with broken pieces of wood. Yubel, through Jesse's hands, tore apart the small structure, throwing aside the broken planks. Inside, the bluenette saw that an elder man had been sleeping, the shelter shielding him from the dusty wind. The man woke up and, upon seeing the possessed boy towering above him, cowered down. He looked up to the bluenette, his eyes brimming with fear.

"P-Please… p-please don't h-hurt me…"

Yubel reached down and grabbed the elder's neck harshly, cutting off the air that circulated through his throat. The man's eyes widened in panic, and his face soon turned purple from the lack of oxygen. With his twisted fingers, he tried to pull the hard gripped from around his throat, but Yubel barely seemed to notice the struggle. Jesse couldn't standing it as he was forced to watch as the demon commanded his body and strangled the helpless man, choked him until he could no longer feel the distant sensation of the elder's pulse throbbed against his betraying hands. He felt Yubel plastering a maniac smile on his face as the man fell limp in his grip.

_"Why did you just kill that man?! He did nothing to you!"_

Yubel moved his hands and removed the worn cloak from the now dead man's body, beginning to unbuckle the long, sleeveless coat which hung on loosely on the elder's thin body.

"I needed his clothes. To blend in."

_"So you killed him?"_

"Yes, now quiet. You're beginning to annoy me."

Jesse silenced himself as the demon continued to command his body, replacing his dusty uniform with the murdered man's clothes. Throwing the worn cloak around the bluenette's shoulders, Yubel forced his body to start walking off towards the lights in the distance. Jesse felt the impact of his footsteps on the dirt grow more and more distant from his consciousness, his connection to his physical being seemingly fading. He was fading.

Through some sort of bizarre instinct, Jesse began to thrash his consciousness around violently, hoping that something might happen. His effort was rewarded as somehow his act reconnected his mental presence to his body, accidently throwing himself to the ground in the process. The bluenette laid in silence for a moment, just trying to register in his brain what had just occurred. When he had gotten himself in order, the bluenette began to pull himself up from the dirt, but a searing pain shot through his body. The white hot sensations made him scream, leaving him unable to control his movements as he trembled and twitched violently in the dirt. Jesse tried to hold out against the pain as it slowly enveloped him, burning his body with heavy flames that drove unseen into him. The intense pain soon grew to be too much, and the boy gave up, allowing the invisible fire to consume him.

Jesse laid in silence, the searing pain finally stopping, the world once more growing distant to his senses.

His hand betrayed him again as it, shaking, reaching into his side pocket and pulled out one of the thin cards stored inside. The hand held it up to his face, his eyes taking in the intricate artwork etched into the smooth paper. The pure whites now appeared to be darkened and the beast looked as a gloomy shade of its former glorified self.

"I-I am going… to take J-Jaden."

Yubel spoke through Jesse's voice, sounding weakened from the intense pain brought upon by going through regaining her control of the bluenette. Panting heavily, the demon remained laid out on the ground as she held the altered card up to his face.

"I will g-get him back… and take him to Gersa again, and this time… y-you… you will not get in my way!"

The white hot pain began to well up in Jesse again, his mental consciousness felt as though it were on fire. The bluenette screamed harshly in his mind as he was consumed again by the invisible fire, and a burning light emitted from the gloomy dragon card cut blindingly into his eyes. Jesse's few remaining senses were all overwhelmed with intense flames, torturing him to near insanity. But then…

…it stopped.

Jesse no longer felt the burning fire, but the cool sensation of smooth stone underneath his trembling body. The bluenette tried to open his eyes, but his mental strength failed him. Jesse began to fall deep into his own darkness.

_(End Flashback)_

* * *

"...Jesse! Please wake up! JESSE!"

The bluenette's eyes shot open, staring up at the distressed girl above him. Through panted breathes, he tried to ask, "Al... Alexis... what... hap... pened?"

"You just past out! Jesse, are you okay?"

Jesse pulled himself into a sitting position. The girl kneeled beside him, her face expressing her concern.

"Yeah, I think so."

As Jesse rubbed his sore head, he realized something. The boy's eyes shot open as he jumped up from the floor and shot out of the room. Alexis trailed behind him, yelling, "Where are you going?! Jesse, what's going on?!"

He stopped, his back facing the girl. He looked back at her, not sure what to say.

"I'm sorry, Alexis. I'll try to explain later."

With that, the bluenette raced off again, leaving Alexis alone in the empty hall. He didn't hear her footsteps follow him, so he pressed on, zipping passed the classrooms all currently in session.

Jesse made his way out if the main building and over to the Obelisk dorm, getting himself to one of the dorm rooms built into the basement. He rapidly knocked on the smooth door, calling to the person inside to open it up. Inside, footsteps were heard approaching the door, and when he pulled the door open, Haou saw a heavily panting Jesse on the outside.

"Jesse, what's wrong?"

The boy stood in the doorway, trying to catch his breath. As he stood there, he tried not to stare at the large plaster cast wrapped around the yellow-eyed boy's arm. Eventually, he managed to speak.

"Do you know where Gersa is?"

Haou's eyes widened at the question.

"Y-yes... I do. Why?"

"Cause I think Yubel took Jaden there."


	8. Chapter 8

**Ok guys. This is where i take over. The original concept of the story belongs to Warriorsstone. I've been given permission to continue so i'll be writing from here on out. :) Keep in mind while reading that my writing style will be a little different. For example i have flashbacks bold/italic. This is actually the second version of this chapter that i wrote. I got a few paragraphs into the first and said, "Nope!" then started over. Hope you guys like it. :)**

* * *

_A Week Later._

Haou extended his arm and flexed his fingers, making sure they all still worked properly. It felt good to have that cast off.

Nurse Fontaine smiled and said, "All set. You were very lucky you know."

He turned his golden eyes to her questioningly. She smiled back at him and explained, "You're young so you heal quickly. Six weeks is about average. Now hurry up, your friend is waiting for you."

Haou looked out the window at Jesse. The bluenette stood just outside the Academy hospital waiting patiently for his injured friend to join him. Oddly, he didn't make a move to actually enter the building, just stood there and looked up at the room Haou was in. The brunette boy noticed Jesse's strange behavior in the infirmary when he'd woken up after being attacked, but he hadn't mentioned it. The whole time, despite everything that was happening, Jesse had been a little off. He noticed it again when the two had walked here. Haou hadn't said anything but it worried him.

He slid off the cot he'd been sitting on, thanked Nurse Fontaine, and then headed for the door. He reached for the door knob and paused. He felt the burgundy haired woman's eyes on him. He turned back to her to see her holding out something to him.

"Here. It may not be best to walk around with your eyes showing." She sighed.

He nodded and took the pair of sunglasses, placing them over his eyes.

* * *

"So, how'd it go?" Jesse asked when he saw Haou exit the automatic doors of the infirmary.

As an answer he held up his arm, now free of its plaster casing, while he made his way over to the bluenette.

"Better. Thank you."

Jesse smiled at him and he sighed, "There is some bad news though."

Haou's statement was met with confusion. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the taller boy.

"This means I'm cleared to go back to class. We're going to have to find some way to explain this to Hassleberry, Alexis, and the others."

Silence hung in the air between them. A soft breeze whipped through the trees rustling their leaves. The day was bright, sunny, and warm. Rays of sunlight lit up the azure sky and made a golden lining form around the few white clouds that bobbed lazily in the blue. The nice day was completely ruined by the veil of foreboding silence that hung around the two boys.

Jesse knew they'd have to tell everyone eventually. Honestly, six weeks should have been enough time to keep his friends in the dark. Still, he found himself hesitant to say that he'd been lying to them and that Jaden was actually kidnapped. What he was dreading even more was what their reactions would be to finding out that Haou, the Supreme King, was back. An image of Syrus flitted threw his thoughts and Jesse wondered if everybody would be the same way. He stood at the edge of the cliff and looked out at the calm ocean.

"We can't avoid this anymore, Jesse." Haou sighed. He moved next to the other boy, reached out to place a hand on his shoulder, hesitated, and then withdrew it again.

Jesse noticed this with a pang of hurt but focused on the topic at hand. He ran a frustrated hand through his teal hair and said, "How are we going to tell them? Maybe it'd just be easier to leave without saying anything, stop them from becoming involved…"

Haou snorted, "You know as well as I do that they'll get involved whether we say anything or not."

"They're Jaden's friends. They mean well and just want to help." Jesse said.

"That may be so but eventually their 'well meaning' is going to get them killed."

Jesse looked at Haou for a moment. His cold yellow eyes were staring out at the horizon.

"You're worried about them, aren't you?"

Haou cast his gaze to the ground, those golden eyes taking on a deep sadness, "Yeah…"

The taller boy looked at his friend with sympathy. The brunette really did care about all of them. Seeing Haou sad made Jesse want to do something to make him feel better. He wanted to hug the smaller boy but he recalled the last time he had done so and the reaction he'd gotten. So, the two stood there and looked out at the waves gently crashing onto the sand.

Eventually the silence was broken. It was Jesse who spoke.

"What's it like?"

"Hmm?" Haou looked up at him, suddenly being pulled from his thoughts.

"Gersa. What's it like?"

The brunette thought about his words, choosing them carefully, before looking Jesse in the eyes and stating, "It's where everything began…"

* * *

**_Last Week. Continuing the conversation at the end of the last chapter._**

**_"That would make sense." Haou said, then he became frustrated with himself, "Damn it!"_**

**_"What is Gersa, Haou?" Jesse questioned._**

**_The brunette calmed himself and asked, "Where did duel monsters originate from?"_**

**_"I don't know. Why is this important?" Jesse replied, a little frustrated._**

**_Haou ignored his question and sighed, "Duel monsters was created by Darkness. In darkness the universe and 12 dimensions began and prospered until the light tried to take over. Since then it has been a ceaseless battle between the two powers. Do you know where the two Absolute Powers originated?"_**

**_Jesse wanted to yell at the boy in front of him for constantly answering his questions with other questions. You'd think with how important and pressed for time they were Haou would give him a straight answer. No such luck though. Seriously, it was like talking to a fortune cookie, and Jesse was getting tired of it. _**

**_Then two and two came together in his mind like cogs in a clock beginning to turn._**

**_"Gersa?" _**

**_Haou nodded solemnly. Shock took over the bluenette's facial features at the realization. _**

**_It took a few minutes but Jesse recovered himself and asked, "Do you know where it is? Can you take us there?"_**

**_"Yes. To both questions." Haou said, his voice monotone and portraying no emotion._**

**_"Then let's go! Jaden needs us!"_**

**_"We can't."_**

**_Jesse glared at the smaller boy, "What?! Why not?!"_**

**_"Think, Jesse!" Haou snapped at him, "If you run in there not knowing what you're getting yourself into its suicide! We need to take time to prepare, and, if you hadn't noticed, I'm injured!"_**

**_The teal haired boy stopped glaring, shame replacing the expression, and rubbed his arm. He avoided Haou's angry gaze._**

**_"Sorry… I'm just… I want Jaden back." Jesse tried to apologize, but he wasn't quite sure what to say._**

**_Haou's expression softened and he spoke calmly. _**

**_"I know. I want him back too, but fighting and throwing caution to the wind won't do us – or him – any good."_**

**_Jesse nodded, "We'll wait. We'll plan. And we'll get Jaden back."_**

**_"How long can you keep lying to everybody though, Jesse?" Haou asked him, concerned._**

**_"To be honest, I don't think I'll be able to for much longer. It's been taking a lot out of me…"_**

**_The bluenette leaned up against the wall and sighed. Haou could clearly see the dark circles around Jesse's eyes and the fact that he was a little more pale than usual. His shoulders sagged as if he were carrying the weight of the world on them. The brunette wanted to say something to make him feel better, to reassure him that everything would be alright, but he couldn't find the right words. He'd never had friends before and didn't know how to comfort one now that he did. _**

**_"We could tell them."_**

**_"Would that really be ok?" Jesse asked, one eyebrow raised questioningly._**

**_"I understand that there'll be some… retaliation, and most likely more than a few harsh words, but I'll be fine."_**

**_The exhausted bluenette nodded, "Alright, but after you've healed. You know how Chazz tends to overreact. When do you think the cast will come off?"_**

**_"The doctor said only about another week. Six weeks is the average recovery time for a broken arm."_**

**_"That's good."_**

**_"Yeah..."_**

**_A tense silence hung in the air like a cobweb in an old basement, stagnant and lifeless. _**

**_"Jesse…" Haou began, wanting to ask about the taller boy's odd behavior at the infirmary, but stopped before the question came out. Was it too personal to be asking about so soon?_**

**_The teal haired boy looked over to Haou and asked, "Yeah?"_**

**_"Never mind."_**

* * *

Back to the present.

Jesse didn't press further. It didn't seem like something Haou liked to talk about. Actually, there were a lot of things it seemed like Haou didn't like to talk about. Jesse understood. He had things he didn't like to talk about either. The whole time he'd known Jaden he'd never told his closest friend about his past. Jaden never talked much about his past either, but he was more open about it than Jesse was. The reason his made up story about Jaden visiting his parents was believable was because he knew Jaden rarely ever got to see his parents. He'd jump at the chance to spend time with them. Jesse had never told anybody if he even had parents. In a way he was more mysterious than Haou was.

The sky was growing dark behind them as the sun slowly sank below the horizon, waking the moon for its night's journey across the sky. The two boys had been standing at the cliff for a while. Now they watched colors bloom and paint clouds in shades of pink, purple, red, orange, and yellow.

"Hey, Haou?"

"What is it, Jesse?"

"Why are you always so cold when other people are around?"

Haou thought for a while then answered, "Instinct. A defense mechanism. It's the way I protect myself from getting hurt."

"You don't have to do that, you know. They'll accept you, even if it takes a little time."

"I know, but old habits die hard."

Jesse glanced at Haou. The smaller boy looked troubled. He was probably thinking about when he was the Supreme King. Jesse knew the boy felt guilty for everything even though he'd been trying to do good. It was an ever looming weight on his conscience.

"How are we going to tell them?" the brunette asked.

"It'd probably be best to tell everybody at once, get it out of the way."

"We could have everybody meet at the Slifer dorm tomorrow."

"That seems like as good an idea as any. I'll let them know and we'll all come over after classes."

"Alright."

"Are you sure about this, Haou?"

"Of course." The brunette responded, giving a small nervous smile.

In all truth Haou wasn't sure about this. He could hide behind a frigid mask but underneath the opinions of Jaden's friends cut deep. In the hospital when he woke with a broken arm it didn't hurt nearly as much as Syrus's accusations. Physical pain he could handle, but emotional wounds stung. He had a feeling he already knew what everybody would say, how they'd react, and it'd take everything he had not to break down.

Jesse knew he was lying. Haou's eyes and mannerisms betrayed him. Oddly though it made the bluenette trust him more. It meant that Haou was a bad liar, which made everything he's said up to this point true. Jesse already believed him and trusted him though. He didn't need any proof for that.

"I… I should get to the Slifer dorm. It's getting late and it'll be a big day tomorrow." Haou said.

"Uh, yeah... I should probably get back to Obelisk too." Jesse said and watched Haou walk away. He watched after him for a while until the boy was no longer visible. He could have told him that everything would be ok, but there's no way to know for sure. If he'd said that there's a good chance it could have ended up being a lie. The two of them would just have to wait and see how things turned out. With this thought in mind Jesse sighed and headed for his dorm. Haou was right, it would be a big day tomorrow.

* * *

**Yay! So how was it guys? :)**


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